Transformers Prime: New Age
by Spiritstrike
Summary: A new age has begun on Cybertron after the events of a noble sacrifice. Friends new and old return to the newly reborn world to become teachers of the next generation, but old enemies secretly plan in the dark to continue what Megatron refused to finish so long ago.
1. Tomorrow's Sacrifice

**Transformers Prime  
New Age**

* * *

 _ **"Sacrificing your happiness for the happiness of the one you love, is by far, the truest type of love."  
-Unknown**_

* * *

 **Prologue:**

 **Tomorrow's Sacrifice**

* * *

Optimus Prime stood before us on top of the Well of All Sparks, the warm rays of the first dawning in so many centuries cast its eerie glow upon his massive frame, illuminating him like as if he was Primus himself. His noble blue orbs gazed over each and every one of us until they settled onto me, and then he drew a deep intake of air.

I held my breath, waiting for him to speak, and when he did, his voice was grave.

"In securing Unicron's defeat," he began, "it was necessary for me to empty the vessel's contents."

We all looked at each other, all of us wondering the exact same question. I decided to voice everyone's thoughts by taking a step forward. "Into where?" I asked.

Optimus cast his very optics upon his broad chest. This time, there was no need for words, but eventually we all understood what he was hinting at. But if some of us didn't understand, he still spoke in a calm tone, but there was still… a hint of sadness, "The Matrix of Leadership."

My optics widened in surprise. Wait, what did that even mean?

"As such," Optimus continued, "my own spark cannot be separated from the multitude of others within me."

Ratchet stepped forward, his old frame seemed to be trembling with uncertainty, but deep down, he seemed to know what it meant. "Are you telling us that you're…" He hesitated, and I realised he was trying so hard to not let his voice break with emotion, "one with the Allspark?"

Arcee and I looked at him, we both knew what that meant.

Smokescreen chuckled, and shook his head. "That's what you say when someone kicks the…" He paused, now understanding what Ratchet was getting at.

We all did.

I felt my spark come to a driving halt. No, no it didn't have to end like this! It couldn't! I chewed my bottom lip, struggling to contain my emotions. After everything we had been through to restore Cybertron to its former glory, after I'd got my voice back, and all the sacrifices we'd made? This… this is how it was going to end for the most important figure in our lives?

Loud footsteps echoed in my audio receptors and I lifted my head to see Optimus standing before me, a soft smile forming on the corners of his mouth. I didn't know what to say to him, I didn't know how… I looked away, feeling ashamed.

Something touched my chin and forced me to look into his optics. There was neither sadness nor regret in them. There was only understanding and… love.

"Bumblebee," he said to me in his deep rumbling voice, "you of all Cybertronians should understand what sacrifice must truly mean. You have been through it yourself when you lost your voice box during the events of Tyger Pax. You made the ultimate sacrifice in order to protect the Allspark. That is something that no other brave Autobot has ever done in his or her life time."

The smile never faded from his lips as he continued to speak, his words echoing deep into my processor. "I will always be proud of you, Bumblebee. I am honoured to call you my friend, and… my son." He took one step forward and wrapped his massive arms around my tiny frame, bringing me closer to his.

At first I hesitated, but then I did what I could to hug him back and allowed my tears to roll down freely. This could possibly be the last time I'd ever touch such a mighty figure and I wasn't going to miss another opportunity.

I held onto him for as long as time would allow it, but eventually… I knew that it would have to end and that I needed to let him go.

I reluctantly allowed my arms to fall freely and Optimus returned to the platform, the wings on his back ejecting with a simple hum. He turned to face us all one last time, the smile on his lips ever bigger than normal. "I only ask of this, fellow Autobots: keep fighting the noblest of fights."

I wiped a single tear from an optic and took a step closer to him, my voice stronger than ever, "You can count us to keep the peace."

He nodded, pride welling up on his facial features. I could've sworn I saw a single drop of liquid falling from one of his optics, but I figured it might've just been my imagination. He turned around and blasted his thrusters, dust kicking up in his wake as he took to the skies. The higher he went, the more my spark continued to pound against my chest. A part of me wanted him to selfishly call out to him, to stop him from making a mistake, to find a way to separate his spark from the billions of others. But in the end, I knew it was fruitless.

Something brushed against my hand and I glanced down to see Arcee looking up at me. There were no tears falling from her optics, but she still had a soft expression. I gently squeezed her hand and she returned the gesture. Then, she rested her head against my shoulder and I brought her closer to my frame, giving her whatever comfort I could provide.

Then, Optimus took a nose dive and flew faster than anything I'd ever seen before. With a loud sonic boom that nearly threw us off our pedes, he disappeared into the Well.

Ratchet raised his arm to bring up the Prime's life signal. We watched it with battered breath. The deeper Optimus travelled into the Well, the weaker the signal became.

"All the way to the Core?" Bulkhead asked.

"All the way, Bulk," Wheeljack confirmed. "He has to go all the way down to give the Well the Allspark."

And then, without warning, there are a flash of white from the Well and flecks of blue and white came pouring out. Wait, those were not flecks! My optics widened with excitement and I pointed to the sky. "He did it!"

Shouts of joy came from everyone as the billions of sparks flew up into the sky, creating a beautiful lightshow that made the Fourth of July look only like a lightbulb compared to this amazing sight. A sense of peace overwhelmed us and we all looked at each other with content filling us deep within our chests.

"He really did it," Smokescreen whispered, his youthful optics looking up at the heavens.

All of the sparks began to head in different directions, as though they were searching for a place to begin their lives for the first time in a very long time. Wherever they were going, I hope that somehow they would have a better start than what I did.

"Do you… think he's…?" Knock Out asked hesitantly.

We all turned to Ratchet and he once again peered at his arm. At first he was emotionless, his expression completely unreadable. He lifted his head and turned to face us, his bottom lip being chewed by his denta. "It's… difficult to explain, but…"

"Come on, Doc," Wheeljack demanded. "Give us the verdict! Is he offline or not?"

"I don't know…"

My optics widened and I gently let of Arcee and stepped in front of the medic. I grabbed his shoulders and shook him hard. "What do you mean you don't know?" I cried. Before Ratchet could protest, I grabbed his arm and glared down at it, only to drop my jaw in shock.

Optimus' life signs were not being picked up, but there was no confirmation on whether he was offline or not. There was absolutely no sign of him at all!

Ratchet wrestled his arm free, his lips pulling back into an irritated growl. "Now you know," he snarled bitterly. "I don't know whether he's offline or not because my scanner isn't picking up anything at all!"

We looked up at the remaining sparks as they continued to circle us. Was Optimus up there amongst them? If so, why wasn't he coming down to see us? Where was he?

"Ratchet…" Arcee's voice spoke up quietly, interrupting my questioning thoughts.

Ratchet turned to glance at her, "What is it?"

The blue two-wheeler femme looked down at the ground and she held one of her shoulders. Her optics squinted tightly shut and she clutched at her chest. "What are we going to tell the kids?"

Scrap…

* * *

 **Well after billions of years of thinking, I've finally decided to post this bad boy up. After getting some seriously bad news regarding the Aligned continuity, I decided that enough was enough and decided to post up my own sequel to Transformers: Prime.**

 **Now, I know that this story has been done dozens and dozens of times, but I wanted to add my own spin to it. This story borrows ideas from stories like "Sweet Stasis" by StokinDembers, "One Human, One Spark" by Whozawhatcha, and "Transformers: Dawn" by Literaturefangirl.**

 **And right now, after the shit that happened, I felt that now was the time to do it. Enough crap has been spilled in my life, I don't need to add anymore to the list.**

 **And I do apologise that this chapter was so short, but it was intended to be a prologue for the story. From this point on, it will be shifting to Third Person. Going through Bee's head was merely something I felt like adding.**

 **Yes, I'm a sucker for father/son relationships between Optimus and younger bots like Cheetor, Bumblebee, Hot Shot and Hot Rod, go figure. It's just a simple theme I get going whenever I feel it's necessary. Also it establishes Bumblebee's leadership status like in RiD2015, but we're not going that far.**

 **Nope, this is its own special story that needed to come out in the open.**

 **Please do not forget to review if you've enjoyed this. This might contain small updates at a time, but they'll happen. Right now I still have to finish "Guardian Angel". That only has two more chapters, so that will be fun to write.**

 **Hope you enjoyed it!**


	2. What Hurts the Most

**Transformers Prime:  
New Age**

* * *

 **Chapter 2:**

 **What Hurts the Most**

* * *

When Ratchet had been called for an emergency back on Cybertron, Jack Darby almost feared the worst that his partner Arcee had been injured in a fight. Ratchet wouldn't state who had been hurt as the call had come quick and had gone away just as fast. So Raf had opened the space bridge and the Chief Medical Officer disappeared inside without much of a backward glance over his shoulder.

Jack spent the rest of the day worrying about what was going on even though he should be focusing on his studies, and even Raf sensed that something was amiss when Ratchet had requested for a space bridge. Miko barely paid much attention, not much to his surprise. The hyperactive girl had been far too excited when Agent Fowler had presented them with training to become agents of the government, but he knew that it was just a way to keep herself distracted from missing Bulkhead and Wheeljack.

Despite the destruction of Jasper, it never stopped Jack from resuming his studies whenever it was deemed necessary. In fact, the government of America had been kind enough to pour almost every resource at their disposal into rebuilding the once peaceful town, but in the end, Jack knew it would never be the same. He hadn't just lived there his whole life, but it was the very place he had made friends with both Miko and Raf, and acquiring his first motorcycle that had forever changed his life.

As the day wore on, Jack decided he'd give his studies a decent break, much to his mother's chagrin. He pushed his chair away from the homemade desk and quietly strolled up to the large, empty doorway that led outside of Hangar E. It was always left open so that either the ground-bridge or space bridge could open and let the large Autobots through. Or even let the Autobots walk inside without having to worry about ducking their heads. He couldn't help but laugh at recalling the large newly reformed Optimus Prime bumping his head on top of the hangar. The Prime had kept a straight face, yet it never stopped anyone from sniggering at his mishap.

"Can't study?" came Raf's small voice.

Jack looked up in his friend's direction where he was minding the controls for Ratchet. He shook his head in response. "No, I'm worried about the 'bots."

Raf chewed his bottom lip, but he kept one eye on the controls for any signs of Ratchet's request to return. "We all are, Jack," he said. "For all we know they could be in trouble and there isn't anything we can do because…"

"Because we're small and squishy," Jack finished for him.

"Yeah…" Raf sighed. "Because we're small and useless."

"No we're not!" Miko shouted as she threw herself over the handle bar and landed beside Jack, causing him to take a step back in surprise. "We helped them out tonnes of times! Remember when they got frozen by the Nemesis and we got on board it to download the info about those relics? And remember when you went to Cybertron to get Optimus' memories back? Oh, and let's not forget when we defeated Soundwave using the Apex Armour and the Shadowzone!"

Jack chuckled. How could he forget those times? Miko was right. They'd helped out their large alien friends many times for as long as they had met them. They didn't just do that, they'd even help keep their secret and away from the public eye. He, Rafael, and Miko had developed strong bonds with them to the point of being considered a really big family. Even his mother – June – and Agent Fowler had become a part of it as well. Strange how such large robotic aliens could have an effect upon their lives.

A punch on his shoulder interrupted his thoughts and he shot a glare at his friend. "What was that for?" Man, girls were so violent.

"For being a worrywart," she snorted and she dashed down the stairs one level, her ponytail bouncing to her movement, and sat on the couch. She put her legs up on the table and her hands folded behind her head. "Besides, it's not like it could've been serious. If it was, Ratchet would've told us by now."

A small smile crossed his lips. Again, she was right. If the situation had been very serious, Ratchet would've called and explained he'd be a little while longer. The grumpy old medic may not have claimed to have serious emotions for the kids, but Jack knew that he had developed a soft spot. He had demonstrated it more than once when they had been in peril or if their safety had been at stake.

Jack sat down on the couch beside Miko and flipped the TV on. They could watch something until Ratchet got back with the news, but deep down in his heart, he could've sworn that he knew that something was really wrong.

* * *

Ratchet shook his head for the umpteenth time as he stood before the space bridge. He wasn't sure if he could do this at all. How could he call Raf and ask for one when he knew dreadfully well what he would be facing when he got back? His spark seemed to clecn in discomfort. If he marched through it, he would be explaining to them what had happened to Optimus Prime. Deep down, he didn't want to face them. He had spent the majority of his time making sure that Ultra Magnus was really fit to command, but the commander had simply brushed him off, much to his protest.

Ultra Magnus knew that he was delaying from breaking the kids' hearts and thus he had pushed him away.

After Optimus had given up his life to return the Allspark to the Well, Bumblebee had decided that the best way that they could honour his memory was to erect a statue in the centre of Iacon. Bulkhead had been more than happy to comply with his wishes and the Vehicons had been more than willing to help out with not a single complaint. Ultra Magnus had even suggested that they send a message out to the stars to call back other surviving Cybertronians – Autobot, Decepticon, or Neutral. Bumblebee decided he'd be the one to send the message, but… not before he and Arcee came along with Ratchet to pass the bad news to the kids.

Unfortunately, convincing the stubborn Ratchet to go back to Earth had been… difficult.

"Ratchet, please," Arcee requested tiredly. "If we don't tell them soon, they'll eventually find out that something is wrong and they'll never forgive us for not telling them sooner. It's better to get it over and done with now than not at all."

"But the kids will be sparkbroken, Arcee…" Ratchet protested pathetically. "I can't face them knowing that a friend of ours and theirs will never be coming back." He turned to face the two young Autobots, his old optics practically begging them not to send him back.

Bumblebee took a step forward and kindly rested a hand upon his shoulder. "Ratchet… Optimus would've wanted you to tell them. He knew how much the kids meant to you, even if you won't admit it."

Ratchet snorted with disgust and looked away. He should've known that Optimus could read him like an open book and passed it on to Bumblebee. Primus, he had even respected his choice to stay behind and help the humans out. To think that telling the kids would make things much worse than they already were. He cared about them too much, but his pride as a Cybertronian prevented him from expressing such emotion.

"Ratchet, please…" Bumblebee persisted. "Arcee and I are coming, you know that right?"

Ratchet's intakes hitched a little. How could he have forgotten? Arcee and Bumblebee had decided to go with him to provide support as well as to express their grief to the kids.

"And me as well?" came a familiar voice.

All three turned to see Bulkhead coming in their direction. The ex-Wrecker had never looked so determined to come with them. His large size nearly dwarfed them, but the gentle mech had never been one to hurt a fly unless he was provoked to. In the end, none of them could resist the large support of their kind-sparked friend.

"You're always welcome to come along, Bulk," Bumblebee smiled brightly.

"I thought you were directing the Vehicons," Arcee said, raising an optic ridge.

"Normally I would," Bulkhead replied, but he shook his head. "But I've got my head of the Vehicons directing them. I think his name was… ST3V3 or something. I don't know, I forget their code names because they're too complicated to remember." He scratched his helm, a habit he had picked up from their human companions. "But I know he can handle it. I've been teaching him everything I know from before I became a Wrecker."

Arcee smiled and folded her arms across her chest. "I'm sure Miko would appreciate seeing you again, old friend."

Bulkhead grinned in response, but then his optics faltered. He knew also that this was not going to be a pleasant visit, but he was more than willing to provide emotional support for his little Wrecker friend if deemed necessary.

"So is that enough to convince you, Ratchet?" Bumblebee asked as he turned back to Ratchet.

At long last, Ratchet vented in defeat. He nodded and pressed a servo to his audio receptor. "Rafael, lock onto my coordinates. I need a space bridge back to Hangar E," he said, though he tried to keep his voice from sounding grave.

" _Coming right up, Ratchet,"_ came the young boy's reply.

A few seconds later and the whirling white and green opening of the downsized space bridge appeared before the small group. Ratchet looked back at the three former guardians of the children. Bumblebee nodded supportively, and together the four friends walked calmly through the space bridge.

* * *

Jack had heard Ratchet's call for a space bridge and he and Miko rushed up to the next level of stairs to be on even ground with the medic. Worry filled his heart because his ears had picked up on the sincerity of Ratchet's tone when he had made the call. His mother had always told him he was extremely sensitive to other people's emotions, and he knew uncertainty when he heard it. Ratchet sounded both tired, uncertain, and… sad? It was hard to tell with an alien robot who had lived more than fifty of his lifetimes.

Once he and Miko had reached the top of the stairs, they waited patiently for their friend to come through. Ratchet did so, but he didn't carry his head with pride like he usually did. No, his posture was slightly hunched over and his metallic face downcast. He was about to ask what was wrong when three other figures walking side by side came out from the vortex.

"Arcee?" he gasped when he saw his friend. He didn't hesitate to run down the stairs and straight toward his fifteen foot tall motorcycle.

A small smile crossed Arcee's pink lips when her eyes rested upon him and she kneeled to his level to place a hand behind his back. Much to her surprise, he wrapped his arms around her leg, embracing her tightly.

"Bulkhead!" Miko squealed as she too ran to meet her big green friend. Bulkhead extended his hand out to her and she hugged it just like they had first reunited from the destruction of the Decepticon space bridge all that time ago.

Bumblebee looked around for his human friend too and he spotted Raf sitting at the controls. His lips formed into a smile and Raf ran up to him faster than what he was used to. Bumblebee held out his hand and Raf leapt into it without a second thought. The black and yellow Autobot placed him on his shoulder and Raf wrapped his arms around his neck as best as he could with his small arms. No words were needed to tell how much the two had missed each other.

"What are you guys doing back here so soon?" Miko asked from out of the blue. "Is Cybertron rebuilt already?"

Jack caught the sideways glance from Ratchet, but he said nothing. Instead, he focused his attention on Arcee and saw how the female Autobot was chewing her bottom lip in a manner unlike anything he had seen her do. Normally she was so strong and determined, but… now she looked almost broken.

"What's going on, Bee?" Raf asked quietly.

"I'm afraid… we have bad news, Rafael," Ratchet said without warning, causing all three children to look up at him with surprise.

It was at that moment that June and Fowler chose to come out from the office upstairs. Fowler's eyes widened when he saw the four Autobots standing in the middle of the hangar with the children and they rushed down to see and hear what was going on.

"What do you mean bad news, Doc?" Miko demanded. "Tell us!"

"Miko, let Ratchet explain," June ordered sternly and the young girl bowed her head.

"I was called on an emergency from Bumblebee," Ratchet explained. "It turned out that Smokescreen and Ultra Magnus had been attacked from a Predacon attack. Two of them, actually. Smokescreen escaped injury, but Magnus was not so lucky. I was able to treat him, but as it turned out, Shockwave and Starscream had created the two new Predacons. But it was then that Megatron attacked."

"Megatron's back?!" Miko squeaked, covering her mouth with her hands. It took a gentle stroke from Bulkhead's hand to reassure her. "Why can't that guy just die already?"

"We all thought the same when Bumblebee used the Star Saber to kill him," Ratchet went on, his voice becoming stronger. "But… he was not the same. Unicron had somehow been involved, controlling him through the Dark Energon in which he had embedded in his spark. Unicron decided that in order to kill Primus once and for all, he would resurrect an army of undead Predacons."

"But what about Predaking?" Jack questioned calmly.

"We tried to seek out his assistance," Bumblebee answered. "I asked him if he would, but he stubbornly refused to leave the grave of his long dead ancestors. I think Predaking went to seek out the other Predacons, but that's when he supposedly ran into the Unicron-controlled Megatron. He was defeated."

"You mean the strongest 'bot who defeated Optimus Prime actually got his butt handed to him by Unicron?" Miko whistled. "Damn."

"But where was Optimus in all of this?" Raf asked.

"He and Wheeljack left Cybertron to seek out the Allspark," Bulkhead replied. "They succeeded but when they returned, Unicron had brought down the Nemesis and the Predacons were already resurrected."

"What happened next?" Fowler asked, gesturing to Ratchet to continue.

Ratchet nodded, grateful for the elder human's willingness to hear the details. "Predaking and his two Predacon minions provided us with assistance in an attempt to slow down the advancement on the Well. We would all rather die than let Unicron harm the Creator's core. We would've failed if it wasn't for the timely arrival of Optimus Prime with the Allspark container."

"Wait, so… Optimus used the Allspark container to… suck Unicron out of Megatron?"

"That's exactly what happened, Agent Fowler," Ratchet replied. "With Unicron contained and unable to cause any more harm, the undead Predacons disintegrated into dust. Thus, Cybertron saved from another day of darkness."

"But what about the Allspark," Jack said. "What happened to it?"

Ratchet had to give the boy credit for being so observant. He could not help but avoid everyone's gaze and his spark once again clenched in uncertainty, but he had come too far to back out of it. He needed to get this out in the open. "The Allspark's contents were emptied in another location… in the Matrix of Leadership."

There was a pause and every single organic eye looked at each other and then back at Ratchet.

"Optimus' spark… had joined with the countless others in the Allspark… He… he could not separate it from them…"

"You mean he's…?" Raf asked, his voice becoming choked.

Ratchet turned to face the humans he had come to call family, a faint trickle of water began to leak out from the corner of his optics. "Optimus decided that the best way to give the Well the ability to give life again… he would throw his body into the very Core. He is no longer amongst the living."

Jack squinted his eyes, struggling to contain his tears. To see Ratchet, a strong willed medic who had known Optimus almost his entire life, so broken and emotional… It was enough to let the dam break. He turned his head and buried in Arcee's plating, not wanting to show his distress. He felt the hand of the blue femme rest itself upon his back, holding him close.

Miko sniffled loudly and Bulkhead could only do what he could to help consul her. Only the tears streaming down her face confirmed how much it was hurting her, even though she hadn't been as close to Optimus as Jack or Ratchet had been. It only proved much Optimus had touched her life.

Raf, however, was not doing as well as Jack or Miko were. At first he wiped his nose, but then he started to cry with distress. Bumblebee sighed deeply and brought him into the palm of his hands, then he pulled him close to his chest in an attempt of a hug. It was not much, but Bumblebee knew that there was no need for words. Optimus had once fought sword and fist to avenge the hurt child when Megatron had fired shots of Dark Energon that nearly killed him.

The Prime had been touched by having the children placed under his and his Autobots wings, that even though he didn't show much emotion, Optimus had more than once saved the very lives of these beloved creatures he highly valued… that he called family.

June however tried to cover her face to hide her tears, but Fowler knew how much she was hurting and he brought her into a warm hug. She turned and buried her face into his shoulder, her salted streaks staining his blue suit dark, but he hardly cared. He was determined to keep a straight face, to show that he was stronger than he appeared. Fowler had given the Autobots grief in the past, but none so much as Optimus. But after the Autobots had saved his life more than once and he had developed a comrade relationship with Bulkhead, Fowler would be the first to admit that the Autobots were something special, but none stood taller and prouder than Optimus Prime. He hadn't been just a leader, he had been a kind and compassionate mech who would've been mistaken for a human were it not for his sheer size and metallic form.

And now… Optimus Prime was gone from the world of living. He would never see the world in which he had brought back to life with just a simple touch of his own soul.

Ratchet regretfully watched as the three former guardians held their humans close. He wished he knew what to do, but… without Optimus to be their guiding light, he was at a loss. Instead he quietly walked outside the hangar, leaving them alone, and stared up at the blue sky above. It was nearing dusk with the sun slowly dropping behind the dusty mountains. Eventually, the sun would cast its last fiery glow over the Earth and dawn upon the other side.

The old mech looked up and his optics rested upon a single star near the falling sun. He knew it was no star, but rather Venus, the brightest planet in the local system. But just below it to the left side of Venus, he caught a glimpse of three perfectly aligned stars. That he knew, from his recent studies of Earth, was the Orion's Belt, thus the constellation known as Orion the Hunter was almost in view.

Orion…

The sheer thought of Optimus' former name before he became Prime sent shivers down Ratchet's back plating. He would remember this very day, on the evening of the aligning between Orion the Hunter and Venus the poisonous planet, that he broke the disheartening news of Optimus Prime's end to the children.

For the first time in his old life, Ratchet allowed himself to shed tears over the loss of not just a leader, but a very close friend.

* * *

 **I didn't mean to make this chapter so sad, but in the end… I had to show Ratchet and the kids' guardians breaking the sad news to the kids. If anything hurt, it had to be my heart. We never saw the Autobots breaking the news to them after Predacons Rising, and I felt it was only fair that I have it happen before the time skip in the next chapter. This wasn't planned, I admit that, but I wanted to show it.**

 **For that emotional hurt, I am truly sorry. But alas, bad news can break even the strongest of humans, even the strongest of Autobots. Ratchet was no exception, he just has this… wall over him that prevents him from showing his soft side. I thought it was good to have him truly cry when he was alone and no one saw him.**

 **Also, I found the kids expressing their loss really complex. I don't remember Prime much, and I hardly remember Optimus interacting with them much beyond offering words of encouragement, choosing to destroy the Omega Lock rather than let Earth suffer the same fate as Cybertron, avenging Raf by fighting Megatron like a fucking boss, and Jack venturing to Cybertron with Arcee to get his memories back. I built on what I remembered and added what I could to make it seem realistic.**

 **I'm probably terrible…**

 **And yes, Orion the Hunter and Venus coming close together has actually happened, back in April 2015. It was also the night that Venus, Jupiter and Mercury were almost in near perfect alignment. I thought I'd take the concept and use it to show something… I cannot afford to spoil. Partly to show both good and ill omens in the not too distant future.**

 **Take that of what you will.**


	3. Life Goes On

**Transformers Prime  
New Age**

* * *

 **Maelstrom J:** Aww, thanks mate. Nice to hear that I'm not overly terrible because that scene felt really important to add.

 **Runner:** Oh yes, I am very much into astronomy because there is nothing more fascinating than watching the stars at night and seeing those amazing celestial bodies orbiting around our Sun. As for what happens next… hehe, you'll see!

 **NordicAutobotGirl:** The feels are there for all to see and feel! I'm glad to know that it made you feel exactly how I was feeling. Nothing hurts more than feeling the emotional break in your heart.

 **Fanatic97:** Ah, sad days always hurts, but they're there to establish character moments.

* * *

 **Chapter 3:**

 **Life Goes On**

* * *

 **Five Years Later**

The warm coming of the sun dawned upon the city that was known as New Iacon, the newly rebuilt main city of Cybertron, causing shadows to stretch beyond their normal capacity until the sun began to near its peak. After the sacrifice that allowed life to return to Cybertron, the Autobots and Vehicons had never been so busy. With Bumblebee and Ultra Magnus currently standing as the leaders of their home planet until a proper leader could be decided upon, they had to face fact that nothing had been more important than rebuilding the proud city that had once been Iacon.

Under Bulkhead's instructions, the Vehicons had worked almost tirelessly for the past five years until nearly ninety-five percent of it had been finished, though nothing had been more important than placing a special icon in the middle of the city's plaza: a statue of Optimus Prime.

It was there that Bumblebee stood, gazing up at the proud form of the mighty leader stood nobly on the platform. The hilt of the Star Saber resting beneath both of his hands in front of him in a knightly pose. His optics stared out toward the Well of All Sparks many miles in the distance.

Despite the dawning of a new day, Bumblebee scarcely paid any attention to what was going on around him. He could hear the openings of doors as students began to pour out from their quarters and began to make their way to the Hall of Records to start their day of lessons. All Bumblebee could focus on was the noble optics of the long gone Prime. The next generation of Cybertronians would have no idea of what Optimus had fought so hard to achieve. He rested a hand upon the tablet that contained specially written words in Cybertronian on the front: _"Here stands Optimus Prime; our founder, our protector, our watcher, our leader, our friend. Remember his words as you walk past: Freedom is the right of all sentient beings."_

Bumblebee's fingers gently stroked the text and he vented deeply.

A lot had changed during the past five years, but not too much to make him forget. Years passed by in the blink of an optic for such a long lived species. And yet time had no other meaning here, none at all. He could still remember after he and Ultra Magnus had Knock Out and Wheeljack take most of the parts from the crashed form of the Nemesis and placed it in a specially constructed base known as Iacon Command. They named the supercomputer Sentinel. It had been after Sentinel was installed did things really start to blow the Autobots' processors. Life signals from all across Cybertron had been picked up almost nonstop!

It was after the investigation of one of the signals did Bumblebee soon realise what was going on: Sentinel had been picking up newborn life signs! Young Cybertronians in fully grown bodies were coming to life all across the planet. From that point on, Team Prime had taken it upon themselves to rescue as many of the newborns as they possibly could. But it was no easy task as most of the newborn sparklings were always popping up in the Badlands or even the Sea of Rust that belonged to Predaking and his Predacons.

With the amount of younglings constantly appearing almost every day, Team Prime agreed that in order to create a future for the next generation of Cybertronians they would need to become teachers and philosophers. With each one assigning themselves to posts, the Autobots began to start anew by teaching and giving the younglings a choice in what they wanted to do. Each of them had been more than happy to come under the wing of each elder to learn what they could.

But with the next generation now learning, Bumblebee decided to have Sentinel send out a signal as a calling to those who still wandered the stars in search of hope. So far over the course of nine years, only a few had returned: Perceptor, Jetfire, and the Protectobots had been amongst the homecoming war veterans.

In the end, Bumblebee could only hope that the peace would continue to last. Nearly all of Cybertron had been quiet except for the Sea of Rust and the Badlands with each new life signals being detected by Sentinel. He had even tried to establish contact with Predaking, but the leader of the Predacons had remained completely silent except for a few growls of warning to never approach their territory again. In the end, Ultra Magnus decided that it would be best to leave the Predacons in peace rather than contact them again, even after they had helped them defeat Unicron all those years ago.

Still, Bumblebee could not help but worry about past enemies like Shockwave, Soundwave, and Airachnid. The kids had claimed to have sent Soundwave to the Shadowzone, but Bumblebee still worried that eventually the Decepticon spymaster would eventually escape and seek out his revenge against those who supposedly killed his master. Airachnid and Shockwave, however, were his main concern. The two had not been seen in Primus who knows how long.

"Worrying again, Bumblebee?"

He jumped and whirled around, blasters poised to fire in case of an attack, only for him to vent with relief when he saw it was only Arcee standing before them. She lifted an optic ridge when his blasters met her face, and he embarrassedly returned them back into subspace.

"Sorry, 'Cee," he sighed softly, but then he smiled softly. "Been a bit jumpy."

"So I've noticed," the petite femme chuckled and she took a step up beside him and gazed up at the proud statue. "Five solar cycles of worrying doesn't seem to have lifted from your spark."

Bumblebee shook his head. "I just can't help it," he told her. "Every time I close my optics, all I can picture is Optimus jumping into the Well and I'd been powerless to stop him. Worse, I'm starting to see things in my dreams." He turned to her. "They're getting worse, Arcee…"

Arcee inclined her head to him and gently placed a hand upon his cheek, a fingertip stroking it affectionately. "I know," she said. "I've seen it in your recharge. When the nightmares come, you toss and turn and shout as though you were caught in Megatron's grip like that time in Tyger Pax when you lost your voice. And when you do wake up, you hardly talk about them unless I'm forced to."

He bowed his head sorrowfully, avoiding her all together.

Soft servos forced his head to face her, her purple tinted blue optics gazed back at him deeply. "How bad are your nightmares?" she asked softly.

A tear leaked from the corner of his left optic. "Bad," he replied simply. "I don't just keep seeing Optimus going into the Well, I even see… I even see Airachnid with his head in her servos and crushing it between her claws. I even see…"

Arcee frowned, waiting patiently for him to speak.

"I don't know what else I'm seeing," Bumblebee finally answered. "The rest is too hazy."

"Do you think Primus is trying to tell you something?"

He shrugged his shoulders in response and returned his optics back to the statue. "I don't know at all, Arcee," he said doubtfully. "I don't know anymore. With all the newborns coming to life and being found, I feel like something bad is going to happen, but… it's as if Megatron is laughing at my stupidity of not being able to tell nightmare from reality."

He jumped when he felt soft lips press against his own. He felt his body hitch and his spark coming to a crashing halt. Every single time the brave little femme had kissed him, it felt like his problems had all but vanished back into the Pit. He responded back by pressing deeper into the kiss and wrapping his arms around her small waist, holding her close.

In the end, duty had to call.

His com-link began to beep and he vented in frustration. Just when he thought he had a moment with his femme friend, Cybertron had to come and ruin it all. Arcee laughed at his misfortune and let him go. He groaned in disappointment and answered the call, "Bumblebee here."

" _Lieutenant Bumblebee, you and Arcee are running late,"_ came the slightly impatient voice of Ultra Magnus. _"I believe we have some important things to discuss at Iacon Command."_

"We're on our way, Ultra Magnus," Bumblebee replied. "We just got a little caught up."

" _See to it that it happens at another time, not during your duty,"_ Ultra Magnus reminded him.

The com-link clicked off and Bumblebee shook his head with annoyance.

"Let me guess," Arcee chuckled. "He wants to see us ASAP?"

"Yeah," Bumblebee answered. "I think he doesn't want to make us forget that it's the day that we and the kids first met."

Her optics became downcast and Bumblebee had to resort to kissing her on the cheek to cheer her up. "Hey, I've got something planned for this year's anniversary," he told her. "I just hope Magnus agrees to it."

She frowned in suspicion. "What did you have in mind, Lieutenant?"

"Using formalities is not going to get the answer, Arcee," he smirked. "You'll hear about it when we get there."

Before Arcee could answer, Bumblebee transformed into his black and yellow muscle car form and zoomed off with a laugh escaping his vocal processor. Arcee shook her head and transformed into her motorcycle form and followed after him, all the while young mechs and femmes jumped out of their way or wished them a good morning.

If there was ever a sign of doubt lingering in his processor, Bumblebee pushed it into the back of his mind and allowed himself to enjoy the playful teasing of Arcee as she attempted to pass him. The race had been called to a halt when they knocked an unfortunate mech off his feet and they had to apologise for their lack of professionalism. But it didn't stop them from enjoying themselves until they reached their destination on the north side of Iacon where the large building dubbed as Iacon Command awaited them.

Iacon Command didn't just house the Sentinel supercomputer, but a variety of young mechs and femmes under Bumblebee's teaching house called Cybertron Intelligence ran about their business. A young mech proceeded to hand Bumblebee his latest gatherings and Bumblebee smiled with admiration at just how well he had written out his work. He promised to pass on the information to Ultra Magnus and the young mech saluted eagerly before making his way back his station.

"One of your students?" Arcee teased.

Bumblebee nodded. "Yeah," he replied. "One of my best ones actually. He's quite gifted when it comes to learning and gathering information. His name is Afterburn, I believe."

"You might have to introduce me to your students sometime," she smiled.

Bumblebee laughed and winked an optic at her as they proceeded to the elevator at the end of the room.

They had to go up one level on the elevator where Ultra Magnus was already waiting for them at the screen of Sentinel. He turned to greet them with a slight hint of a smile, but then was all business seconds later, straightening his posture and clearing his vocal processors.

"So what was it you needed to discuss with me that was so important, Bumblebee?" Ultra Magnus asked.

Before he forgot, Bumblebee handed the data pad to the commander. Ultra Magnus stared at the information and nodded with admiration. He stored the data pad into his subspace pocket as Bumblebee got back to the task at hand. "Commander, it's the anniversary of when Bulkhead, Arcee, and I met the kids back on Earth. I wanted to make a request to bring them to Cybertron to give them a tour and to join us when Pax Cybertronia is upon us."

Pax Cybertronia was the celebration that Team Prime had made as a way to celebrate the ending of the Great War and the dawning of the planet's restoration. It was something that the team had sworn that every newborn sparkling would know of the sacrifices of those long gone.

Arcee's optics widened with surprise. "You wish to bring the kids here to Cybertron?" she asked. "But our atmosphere will kill them!"

"Actually, it won't."

All three bots turned around to see Wheeljack and Bulkhead standing in the middle of the doorway. The two former Wreckers walked forward and Wheeljack handed a data pad to Arcee. "Bumblebee has been talking about this with us for weeks," Bulkhead explained. "He said that if we are to be a welcoming planet to all aliens, we should build this."

Arcee looked down at the data pad with a blinking optics. On the data pad was a blueprint of some kind of megastructure unlike anything she had seen before. She looked up with a puzzled expression. "An atmosphere creator?" she asked.

Bumblebee nodded. "Yup, I wanted to plan something special for the fifth anniversary of our friendship with the kids and so I asked Bulkhead, Perceptor and Wheeljack to design an atmosphere machine that would spread all over Cybertron and allow all organics to be able to breathe naturally."

Ultra Magnus took the data pad and read it with interest. "And how long as this been in construction?"

"Already finished, Sir," Bulkhead replied with a grin. "We just want your approval to switch it on and allow us your permission to get the kids on Earth."

The blue and white commander stared long and hard at the data pad for a good long minute. Bumblebee waited impatiently with battered breath, hoping that he would say yes. He'd waited a long time to be able to see the kids and every part of him was desperate to see them again. Even if Ultra Magnus said no, it wouldn't stop him from space bridging all the way to Earth to see them again. His spark fluttered nervously in his chest cavity, but the comforting hand of Arcee stilled it somewhat.

Unexpectedly, a smile crossed the lips of the stoic commander. "Very well, Bumblebee," he said kindly. "You may proceed with activating the structure and bringing the kids to Cybertron."

Without even thinking, Bumblebee leapt forward and embraced Ultra Magnus tightly, shocking him. "Thank you so much, Magnus!" he whooped. He quickly let go and proceeded to hug Arcee as well, much to her happiness.

"Can't wait to see our little Wrecker again!" Wheeljack exclaimed.

"We'll activate the atmosphere structure now," Bulkhead said as he walked up Sentinel and typed in a few simple commands. Bumblebee had to admire the gentle mech's growing tendency for solving problems better than he had been before. He'd claimed many times that he wasn't smart, but everyone knew better than not to underestimate his smarts. His knack for constructing amazing structures with the assistance of the Vehicons proved ever beneficial to the rebuilding Cybertron.

"Sentinel, activate the Atmosphere Station," Bulkhead ordered.

" _Voice recognition: Construction Staff Leader Bulkhead of Kaon. Please activate passcode."_

Bulkhead grinned good naturedly and proceeded, "Passcode 2-6-1-1-2-0-1-0."

" _Passcode accepted. Activating the Atmosphere Station,"_ Sentinel chimed. The screen popped up a video showing the proud megastructure that sat quietly on the outskirts of Iacon. It hummed loudly as it came time life and a bright beam of blue light shot up into the sky. A bubble began to form and then spread over the entire planet until it was completely encased in a living, breathing atmosphere.

Bumblebee couldn't help but pat Bulkhead and Wheeljack on the back plating.

"Let's go fetch out friends," Arcee smiled warmly.

* * *

It was a warm Spring day in the quiet town of Jasper. The town had been rebuilt from scratch after the massive destruction that had almost wiped it off the map all those years ago. A pair of birds flittered about together in the clear blue sky, not a cloud was to be seen at all, showing that it was to be a fine day indeed. But the sound of a vehicle engine was enough to disturb the peace, and a pair of bright headlights belonging to a dark blue sedan paused at the top of the hill.

The owner of the vehicle was a young man in his early twenties with calm blue eyes and short brown hair. He wore a simple grey jacket, blue jeans, a brown t-shirt over a white long-sleeved shirt, and blue and white sneakers. Judging from his appearance, he was fairly tall for his age, but he also appeared to have seen enough action in his teenage years. He stepped out and closed the driver's door behind him. He took a few steps forward and peered down at the town he'd once called home. It had been merely six years since he had last set foot in this place, but after going away to study to become an agent for the government, he thought he'd come home to see how things had changed.

Not a lot had since he had heard that the town had been rebuilt back to the way it was. The only new things he could see were the addition of a nearby army base established by the USA government out of the request of an old friend.

He smiled to himself and shook his head, brushing a stray lock of brown hair from out of his vision. He checked his watch for the time and his smile grew wider. According to the time, they should be here any moment.

A car horn took him from out of his thoughts and he looked over his shoulder to see a dark green four-wheel-drive coming around the corner. The owner of the vehicle was a plucky young Japanese woman just a year younger than him. Her purple and black streaked short hair looked extremely unnatural for someone of her age, but to the young man, it was not at all unfamiliar. The vehicle came to a halt and she stepped out, a large smile forming on her purple lips.

"Miko!" he greeted as he ran up to her.

"Long time no see, Jack!" she squealed, almost just as excited as him, and wrapped her arms around his waist. Jack returned the gesture in kind and pressed his lips to her own.

"And the same to you, Miko," he grinned. "But you do realise that long distance calls are what kept us in contact?"

Miko laughed. "True enough, but that doesn't make it the same." She gently threw a punch in his shoulder and he winced with discomfort. Four years of not seeing each other in personal definitely hadn't changed her one bit at all. Her hand reached up to stroke the soul patch on his chin. "Damn, I didn't think you'd look that good with facial hair."

He chuckled and laid his hand upon hers, kissing her fingers gently. "Thanks," he said. "I didn't think about it, but I actually like it this way."

She pressed her lips to his chin and then smacked them together. "It actually tickles when I kiss it."

He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Gee, thanks," he grumbled, his cheeks turning a little red.

Miko giggled and laced her fingers between his. "Is Raf going to be here soon?"

Jack nodded. "Yeah, but he said he's going to be a little late," he replied. "He said he had a few things to take care of with Ratchet."

"Did he say what he was doing?" Miko asked, a frown forming on her brow in a puzzled expression.

The young man shrugged. "Not sure," he said. "He wouldn't specify until he was absolutely sure it was perfect."

"Let's just hope he comes soon," Miko huffed, folding her arms across her chest. "I'm just as eager as you are to see everyone."

He put an arm over her shoulder and brought her into a warm hug. "Don't worry, Miko. He's sometimes late, but it's better than never at all."

Miko shrugged and leaned into the warm brace, thus giving Jack a proper chance to admire her lovely form. She hadn't changed all that much since the last time he had seen her, save for the strange new outfit she was wearing. She wore a jet black shirt with a light purple sleeveless hooded jacket, pink fingerless gloves, dark blue jeans with a white patch on her left thigh and fashionable rips on the calves, she even wore brown knee-high flat laced boots similar to what she wore when she'd been a teenager. In the end, she hadn't changed at all.

A familiar ring tone sounded from Jack's pocket and he reluctantly removed his hand from Miko's shoulder and pulled out a black mobile phone. His eyes widened when he saw who it was and he answered it, putting the phone on speaker. "Jack here."

" _Greetings, Jack,"_ came the familiar voice of Ratchet.

"Ratchet?" Miko gasped, peering at down at the phone to see that it indeed was the scarred face of Autobot medic Ratchet.

" _And greetings to you too as well, Miko,"_ Ratchet smiled. _"It has been a little while since we last spoke to each other."_

"Ratchet, we just got to Jasper," Jack frowned, "we're waiting for Raf to come."

The old mech cast down his gaze for a split moment, but then he seemed to shake it off. _"Jack, I apologise for calling so suddenly, but Rafael will not be coming to meet up with you."_ His tone sounded disappointed.

"What's going on, Ratchet?"

Ratchet cleared his throat and went on. _"Rafael and I had been talking for a while and I decided that we would actually be meeting back at Hangar: E."_

"So we came here all the way for nothing?" Miko demanded.

The old medic shook his head. _"Not exactly,"_ he said. _"Bumblebee and Ultra Magnus even agreed to it that it would be best that I bridge you two here."_

Jack's eyes widened with surprise at those two familiar names. Now things were really getting interesting. "Wait… Bumblebee? Ultra Magnus?"

" _I'll let the upcoming ground bridge do the talking for me,"_ Ratchet answered simply, but Jack caught a hint of a smile forming on his silver lips. Seconds later, an all too familiar swirling white and blue vortex appeared before Jack and Miko, followed by its humming noise. _"Drive your vehicles through and all will be clear."_

Miko and Jack both looked at one another and smiled broadly. If Ratchet had a surprise for them, it was definitely going to be worth it. No doubt in their mind that something was really up if Bumblebee and Ultra Magnus agreed to whatever it was that involved them and Raf.

"Alright, Ratchet," Jack sighed. "We'll be there shortly."

He switched off his phone and he and Miko separated to get into their respectable vehicles. Once they were settled in, they started up their engines and Jack was the first to drive on through, followed by Miko. The whirling circular vortex took them deep. It too them less than a few seconds to pass on through and onto the other side.

Jack pulled his vehicle to a stop and his eyes widened into a shocked expression.

There, standing before Ratchet with their backs turned was none other than three all too familiar faces: Bumblebee, Bulkhead, and of course… Arcee.

* * *

 **There you have it folks, the next chapter of TFPNA has arrived. I now have plans to focus on Talons Like Iron now, so this story will become quiet for a little while. I promise you I will return to writing this story when I have the chance, but for now, my focus must be on TLI for at least a few chapters. I promise you the next one will be worth it.**

 **Also, I've put in a number of easter eggs in this chapter, so I will be mighty surprised if you can list them all. I've also added in a few nods to the upcoming Transformers Prime fan film "Galvatron's Revenge". If you have not been following my tumblr account and have not seen the stuff I've been posting, you're totally missing out!**


	4. Visit to Cybertron

**Transformers Prime  
New Age**

* * *

 **Chapter 4:**

 **Visit to Cybertron**

* * *

The three Autobots stood quietly in the middle of the room, their optics never moving from the children. The only movement was the smile that was forming on Bumblebee's lips, but they didn't speak a word. It seemed like years before the silence was finally broken by Ratchet coughing as though to ease some of the tension out of the air.

"Hey," Bulkhead finally said.

Words didn't need to be spoken. Nothing needed to be expressed. Miko let off a squeal of joy and she raced towards her former guardian. Bulkhead bent down and offered his hand to her, she opened her arms and wrapped them around his open fingers. Tears of joy poured down her eyes and she nuzzled him, unable to speak. He just took it all in, grinning widely. What had been the blink of an optic for him had been forever for her since he had seen the young girl that had warmed his spark when they had first met. He continued to let her hold his hand, letting her cry her joy at seeing him again.

Jack hadn't moved since Miko had ran to Bulkhead, he just stood there with a smile on his lips. Then his eyes rested upon Arcee. She had her arms folded across her chest and was leaning on one leg, but her expression was warm. He was a grown man now, so he walked up to her and she bent down on one knee to be on level with him. He came up to her knee now. She was impressed by how much he had changed, if only physically.

"Arcee," Jack said, causing her to grin. His voice had deepened in the last few years. "It's been…"

"So long…" Arcee finished, a smile forming on her silver lips.

Jack laughed and he hugged her frame. A tear welled up in her optic, but she held it back as she returned the hug, being very gentle. One wrong move and she might accidentally crush him.

"I thought you didn't exist," he joked.

"I did manage to hunt you down, didn't I?" she shot back, but her tone was filled with mirth.

From the side, Bumblebee, Raf and Ratchet watched with amusement glinting on their faces. Ratchet winked at Bumblebee from the corner of his optic. "You had this planned for quite some time, didn't you?"

Bumblebee gave him the thumbs up. "Yup," he chuckled. "I thought now would be a good time."

Raf adjusted his glasses, grinning good naturedly up at his friend. Just like Jack and Miko, he too had changed. No longer was he shorter than Jack or Miko, but he was definitely taller than Miko. He wore a pale yellow checker long-sleeved shirt with only his forearms showing, dark blue baggy jeans, and black and yellow sneakers. His hair was neatly trimmed, but a stray kink was left in his fringe. An unusual watch was strapped around his right wrist.

"Honestly, Bee," he said, his voice slightly deeper than it had once been, "I had a feeling you were planning to visit us after five years. There was no way you were going to forget us that easily."

Bumblebee's doorwings twitched slightly, but he was still smiling broadly. "How could I not? You guys mean a lot to us. After what we'd been through together, I doubt any of us could forget."

"So has anything been happening much on Cybertron?" Raf asked.

Bumblebee fiddled with his jaw slightly in thought. "We're making steady progress," he replied. "But that's actually one of the reasons why we decided to come. I thought you guys would love to see how much work we've done."

"But…" Raf said thoughtfully, "wouldn't your atmosphere suffocate us?"

"Nope!" Bulkhead suddenly spoke up. "Jackie and I managed to build a station that can sustain a breathable atmosphere for all organics, including you humans."

"You mean we get to visit Cybertron?" Miko squealed excitedly.

"That's the reason why we're here," Bumblebee laughed. "We reckon its time you visited Cybertron."

Ratchet suddenly winced as he was forced to cover his audio receptors. The unbelievably loud squeal from the children echoed through the building and all three of the former guardians grinned at each other. This was exactly what Bumblebee had wanted. Seeing the children, telling them the good news, and hearing them whooping with excitement about going to another planet… it felt so good to actually do something worth remembering, especially after five years of never seeing them.

Miko jumped into Bulkhead's hand and hugged his broadly grinned jaw, Jack just hugged Arcee, and Raf gave Bumblebee a high five. Ratchet finally uncovered his audio receptors and huffed with annoyance.

 _Pft, younglings…_ he thought bitterly, but he couldn't help but smile at the enthusiasm of the children.

"I'll get the ground bridge going," he finally announced and went to go and turn it on.

"Aren't you going to come with us, Doc?" Miko asked.

"My name," Ratchet huffed impatiently, "is not Doc! And no, someone has to stay here and watch the base."

"The war has been over for five years, Ratchet," Bumblebee said. "Why not come back and see Cybertron for yourself?"

Ratchet hesitated, a servo hovering over the control panel. At first he was going to say no to the young warrior's offer, but he started to have second thoughts. He hadn't seen Cybertron since Optimus had sacrificed his life to return the Allspark to the Well. He couldn't even bear to look at it despite the planet flowing with life again. He missed Optimus… he missed his old friend. Seeing Cybertron would only bring back painful memories…

"I can't…" Ratchet replied softly.

"Can't or won't?" Arcee asked.

The old mech whirled around, optics blazing furiously. "I can't!" he snapped.

All six flinched at the viciousness of his tone, but Bumblebee knew that deep down Ratchet would not budge. Once his processor was made up, he stuck to it. He was just as stubborn as Optimus had been. Far too stubborn to give up on patients, far too stubborn to admit that Cybertron was not the same without his dearest and oldest friend.

"It's fine, Ratchet," Bumblebee reassured him kindly and rested a servo on his shoulder, but Ratchet slapped it away.

The bridge activated and Ratchet shot a glare. "Just go," he sneered coldly. "Call me when you're ready to send the children home." He turned his back on them and returned to his station, signalling the end of their discussion.

"Let's get going," Bulkhead said quietly.

Bumblebee nodded in agreement and the three Autobots, with their charges walking at their feet, headed through the ground bridge. It closed behind them with a pop and Ratchet lifted his head to the ceiling, a trickle of water leaking from the corner of his optics. "Forgive me, Optimus…" he muttered sadly.

* * *

The bridge closed behind the Autobots and their humans, but unlike before where there had been joy and excitement, there was a blanket of sadness in the atmosphere. Bumblebee's spark pulsed with guilt. Despite the peace they had worked so hard to achieve, they were still missing the very one who had made it possible. Five years after Optimus Prime's sacrifice and the hurt still continued to linger in all of them, even Ratchet.

"Guys, we shouldn't be sad for Ratchet," Jack spoke up. "We should enjoy this visit and spending time with each other."

"Jack's right," Arcee smiled softly and leaned into Bumblebee. "We came here to celebrate our anniversary of friendship, not let past memories hurt what we have now."

Bumblebee tried to smile, but it was no more than a ghost. A nudge from Bulkhead finally forced him to smile harder. He had to put on a brave face for them for the good of the children's visit to Cybertron. Now that they were here, they could focus on enjoying themselves.

"Where should we start?" Raf asked, looking up at his partner.

"How about we start with the most important thing in the entire city," Bulkhead suggested.

"And what would that be?" Miko questioned, raising an eyebrow. Bulkhead grinned and he offered his hand out to her. Puzzled, she hopped on as Bumblebee picked up Jack and Raf. All three Autobots strolled out of the ground bridge's station and made their way outside. Wherever it was they were going, the children were certain that none of them wanted to spoil the surprise that awaited them.

As they walked, their eyes widened in wonder at the magnificent sight that awaited them. Silver structures towered over them, stretching until it appeared to be that they were touching the sky. The centre was bustling with activity. Cybertronians of many sizes and colours raced to get to their destinations. Some of them waved to the three Autobots, while others nodded in greeting and went about their business.

"This is so cool!" Miko exclaimed excitedly, her eyes sparkling in admiration.

"Just wait until you see the others," Bumblebee chuckled.

"Others?" all three children asked at once.

They weren't waiting long for their answer. Bumblebee led the group into a large building that seemed to stretch forever as far as their eye could see. It was unlike anything they had seen before as it glowed a bright silver with tonnes of gold decorating its exterior. Cybertronians were dashing in and out, bustling about. Some of them carried data pads in their hands, while others jumped about as though they were really excited about something.

Bumblebee led them inside the building and down a corridor, he then turned a left but then he suddenly jumped back as a young bot collided with him with a loud bang, followed by the clattering of data pads.

"Sorry, Sir!" the blue and white bulky bot stammered in a feminine voice as she rushed to pick up her items.

"Don't worry about it, Strongarm," Bumblebee reassured her, offering her a hand. The femme called Strongarm gladly accepted it and stood up. "Anything damaged?"

Strongarm checked herself and shook her head. "No, all good thanks."

Bumblebee grinned good naturedly and stepped aside for her. "You better get a move on," he told her. "Wouldn't want you to be late for your class."

She saluted. "Yes, Sir!" Once she checked to make sure that she had all her data pads, she rushed off.

Jack turned and lifted an eyebrow at the yellow Autobot. "She seems like a lively one," he joked.

A small growl was heard but Jack could not be sure of the source. Bumblebee glanced down and fiddled with his hands nervously. "Strongarm has a lot of potential," he explained. "She hopes to one day make it into the Academy and train for law enforcement. She's… pretty obsessed with rules and regulations."

"Hey!" shouted the same voice. "No running through the building!"

Bumblebee flinched. "See what I mean?"

The group chuckled with enthusiasm and they continued their way to wherever Bumblebee was leading them. They soon came to a very large door and Bumblebee pressed a button. The door opened with a loud whoosh and they stepped inside. The children's eyes widened with surprise.

Before them was a very large room filled with many Autobots of different ages and sizes. Many of them were gathered around tables, all of them were chatting and enjoying a cube of energon. Some of them were reading data pads, possibly studying whatever homework they were assigned to. In the middle was a large table, and sitting at the table was…

"Jackie!" Miko exclaimed.

"Smokescreen!" Jack cried.

Indeed, sitting at the table was not just Wheeljack and Smokescreen, but Ultra Magnus as well. The three Autobots looked up from their conversation and the young blue and yellow Autobot waved eagerly at the sight of them. "Hey, guys! You made it!" he laughed.

The group jogged towards them and took their seat at the table. Smokescreen passed a cube to each of them, but Bulkhead burrowed his hand into his subspace pocket and placed three bottles of soft drink in front of the children. "Can't forget about you guys," he joked.

"Well that was fast," Jack chuckled as he unscrewed the lid and took a sip of the drink. Much to his surprise, the drink was as cold as ice, but it tasted quite good.

"It's cool, Jack," Raf reassured him, adjusting his glasses on his nose. "I gave Bulkhead some supplies before we left for the bridge. Lucky for us he had place to store them in a cool spot."

After a moment of sipping their drinks, Smokescreen cleared his throat. "Wow," he said when he looked the kids up and down, "I know you humans age quickly, but I didn't think it was that quick. Has it really been that long since we last saw you?"

Ultra Magnus nodded in agreement. "We Cybertronians do not age as fast, but it certainly is… strange to see you looking different." He looked over at Raf. "You especially, Rafael. You've changed the most in the last five years."

"It's, um… ah, what we humans call a growth spurt," Raf explained. "I'm not as small as I once was, thank god."

"We've all grown," said Jack with a nod. "A lot can happen in just five years." He looked around with a slight frown. "But I've never seen so many of you guys before. They all look so happy and so… innocent."

Bumblebee leaned back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest. To Raf's surprise, he had a serious look in his eyes. He was quiet for a little bit before he finally spoke in a soft voice. "After Optimus… gave his life to the Well," he explained, "a lot of sparks came out and have been granting life to Cybertronian bodies all around the planet. For the past five years, we've been hunting them down and returning them here to this very city so that they can have a chance to study and learn under us seniors."

"Since then," Ultra Magnus stepped in, "we've been steadily rebuilding the planet but we had to start with Iacon, which we now call New Icon. Most of it is finished, but we still have a while to go. Give or take…" He glanced over at Bulkhead.

"Another two years and the Vehicons can move onto the other cities," Bulkhead replied.

Ultra Magnus nodded politely his thanks and he turned to Bumblebee, "I thought you'd like to know we received word that a ship is heading to Cybertron."

"A ship?!" Bumblebee asked. "When did it make contact?"

"Two Earth hours ago," Wheeljack replied, taking a sip from his cube. "They identified as the _Steel Aurora_."

Arcee's jaw dropped at the mention of the ship's name. "Did you say the _Steel Aurora_?" she asked.

Wheeljack nodded. "I did," he answered but then he hesitated. "Why do you want to know?"

"I'd like to know why too, Arcee," Jack agreed. Raf and Miko looked over at the petite blue femme, both also expecting an explanation from her.

Arcee vented deeply and closed her optics for a moment and then opened them again. When she did, she was staring right into Bumblebee's own. "I know it because it's the ship that Optimus Prime's sparkmate boarded during the Exodus of Cybertron."

There was a very long pause and then Ultra Magnus emitted a deep, long sigh that sounded both forced and saddened. "I should have expected that…"

"Uh, sorry for being so naïve," Miko put in, "but what's a sparkmate?"

Bulkhead and Arcee exchanged glances until Arcee looked down at her with a very serious expression, her lips set in a straight thin line. "A sparkmate, Miko, is what you humans would refer to as a wife. But… our bonds go a lot deeper than that. The union between sparks indicates that you are willing to spend an eternity with the very one you love. It's… it's a very deep thing to think about because once you join your sparks, you cannot bond with another partner. It's for life."

"So… you connect not just physically," Raf pondered, "but you connect both physically, emotionally, and mentally?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying, Rafael," Arcee sighed. From the corner of Jack's eye, he noticed Arcee place a hand underneath the table and he could've sworn that he saw Bumblebee's do the same as well. He lifted an eyebrow at the slight gesture but said nothing about it. He was sure Arcee would tell him when she was ready, but he had a slight suspicion that her and Bumblebee were an item.

"Primus," Ultra Magnus whispered aloud. "But it was not her we talked to when we contacted the ship. We actually spoke with Ironhide."

"That's even worse!" Bumblebee cried, leaping to his feet. "Ironhide and Optimus were very close friends, mentor and student in fact! If he so much as found out that Optimus is gone, he's going to go berserk!"

"We have to tell them at some point, Bumblebee," Ultra Magnus told him gently. "We cannot keep the truth from them."

"No, we can't," Arcee agreed.

Bumblebee vented and sat back down on his chair, his door wings drooping a little. "You're right," he said quietly, "I'm sorry I snapped."

Ultra Magnus nodded with understanding and gently rested a hand upon the smaller mech's shoulder, giving it a warm squeeze. He told him that he understood the young leader's worries, but sooner or later they would have to tell them when the ship arrived.

"So, when is the _Steel Aurora_ due to arrive?" Bulkhead asked, trying to lighten the mood a little.

"Three solar cycles from now," Smokescreen answered. "It's been a long time since we've seen other senior Cybertronians since the Great War. It would be great to see others that aren't exactly post-warborn."

"It would," agreed Wheeljack. "We could use more hands to help us train the younglings."

"How many exactly are there?" Jack asked.

"Judging from our last count over the past five years," Bumblebee replied thoughtfully, "I'd say about a hundred and ninety-seven."

Miko whistled loudly. "Damn, that's a lot of kids you have to keep track of."

"Indeed," Ultra Magnus agreed. "Which is why we could use the assistance of the other seniors to teach them and keep an eye on them as well."

Jack frowned and glanced around suddenly. "By the way, I just noticed Knock Out isn't here. Where is he?"

Smokescreen laughed. "Unfortunately for him, he's on med-bay duty," he said. "He has to treat a few younglings who keep hurting themselves after being with Wheeljack's lessons."

Wheeljack glared furiously and pouted. "Hey, it's not my fault that their experiments keep exploding in their faces!"

The entire group burst into a fit of laughter at the ex-Wrecker's expression. It felt good to laugh together after being separated for five long years. Then again, when was the last time they had any fun at all? Working on Cybertron, going to school, it had been nothing but focus on the future. Both Autobot and human had their friends on their minds for so long that they never thought or even considered asking whether it was okay to visit them. But now that they had the chance to see each other again, they were going to make the most of the time they had.

Suddenly, Bumblebee snapped his fingers together, causing the kids to jump with surprise. "I just had an idea," he said. "I was thinking of having a race!"

"A race?" Wheeljack asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Yeah," Bumblebee replied. "It's been so long since any of us did things together since we've been so busy rebuilding, teaching, and living new lives, why don't we have a race."

"Between who?" Arcee questioned.

"Smokescreen and Bumblebee!" Jack and Miko cried at the same time.

"Exactly what I was thinking," Smokescreen grinned. "My race team against yours, Bee. That's if you've got the bearings to challenge my speed."

Bumblebee grinned back with a fire burning behind his blue eyes. "You know that they're made of steel, Smokescreen. "We'll have a race in two solar cycles, then we'll see who the king of the tracks is."

"Bring it on, Bee!"

* * *

 **It's been so long since I last updated this story and it's about time I did something to make up for it. Lately I'd hit a road block in my muse and I've been struggling to try and get this going, but after a friend encouraged me and some good old music to keep my ears going. It was very satisfying and I feel so proud of myself. Hope the wait was worth it for you guys!**


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